Before the start of the Finals, the NBA official website gave an FMVP list, the Nuggets Heat each 3 on the list, in order is Butler, Martin, Adebayo, in fact, Adebayo is also the bottom of the 6 people, he is the team's real second-in-command, but it seems to have been ignored by many people. As a result, in the Finals, Adebayo proved to the outside world with his excellent performance that he was also one of the best interior linemen in the league. 26 points, 17 boards, 10 assists, do what you say! That's why Riley gave Adebayo $163 million in top salary
In the G1 Finals, the Nuggets led by 21 points at one point, the Heat shooter cluster was inaccurate, and it was Adebayo's consecutive points that supported the Heat's offense. In G2, he further improved his scoring efficiency, scoring 21 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists in just 14 shots, not only frequently in the box, but also his accurate shooting near the free throw line, which also forced Jokic to give up retreating to the basket and follow closely when Adebayo received the ball from mid-distance.
In 2017, the Heat selected Adebayo with the 14th pick in the draft, and his initial template was Howard or TT, that is, positioned as a blue-collar interior lineman. But his growth has exceeded many people's expectations, not only defensively, excellent singles skills under the basket, but also reliable shooting. From the current style of play, perhaps Adebayo is closer to Heat star Bosh.
So far, in 2020, the third-year Adebayo was selected as an All-Star for the first time and helped the Heat reach the Finals. Riley quickly renewed his contract with a five-year cap of $163 million in the offseason, up to $195.6 million if he could trigger the Ross clause. Many people think the contract is a serious premium, but Riley is so shrewd that he rarely looks away. Adebayo played steadily in the following years, not only scoring and grabbing rebounds, but also strong strategy, creating many opportunities for the Heat's shooter group.
In the first round of the playoffs, Butler was undoubtedly the best player, but Adebayo also contributed, he was the main offender, and he had a triple-double of 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in the G5, which was his highest single game in this year's playoffs. Playing the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Heat can lead 3-0, and Adebayo's role is also obvious, G2 he has a quasi-triple-double of 22 points, 17 rebounds and 9 assists, and 17 rebounds is also his highest this year. In the G1 Finals, Adebayo led the team with 26 points, and also set a new personal high in a single game in this year's playoffs.
He said in the Eastern Conference Finals that the Heat were disappointed to lose to the Finals last year, and this year's goal is to reach the Finals. After the G1 game against the Nuggets, Adebayo stressed that he would find a way to make it 1-1. It can be seen that he is a pragmatic player, rarely empty words, basically doing what he says.
In this year's regular season, Adebayo averaged 20.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game, was once again selected as an All-Star and was a member of the All-Defensive Second Team. In the playoffs, he averaged 17.5 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game, although it declined slightly, but never softened, the more critical the game, the more prominent the role, the finals are not afraid of confrontation with Jokic, but more and more calmly. That's why Riley gave Adebayo a $163 million top salary, he plays an important role on both ends of the offensive and defensive ends, and fits perfectly with the Heat's tough team culture, and at 25 years old, he is in his prime, which makes this contract look like great value.